The New York Times Stokes Questlove's Curiosity in Film from Joshua Kissi

Droga5 shares its latest campaign for The New York Times.

Featuring Questlove, the next iteration of The Times’ Independent Journalism for an Independent Life campaign takes us inside Questlove’s thought process as he reflects on the stories that impact his life and perception of the world. We also launched Story Portrait which is an interactive mobile experience where users can explore how what they read can inspire who they are.

Directed by Ghanaian-American filmmaker Joshua Kissi, the film gives a glimpse into Questlove, fresh off a Peabody Award, Times 100 (where he named Wordle his one saving grace in his speech), Roots 30th Anny and Oscar, his daily routine and the power of manifestation and meditation (i.e. writing in his ‘dream pad’ and talking to the universe), his Wordle obsession and the community he has created around it, and how guest essays, new music critiques and reporting on places or people he admires help him evolve personally and professionally by offering new perspectives about the world and himself. 

The film was shot at the iconic Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village where Questlove took up residence and produced multiple albums between 1996 and 2002. It will be featured at the Tribeca Film Festival and shown in independent theatres across the US in addition to TV, digital, print, out-of-home, social and audio spots. 

As part of the campaign launch, The Times is encouraging all subscribers to explore how what they read can inspire who they are by launching a new interactive mobile experience, Story Portrait. Available on The New York Times app or at nytimes.com/storyportrait starting June 13th, The Story Portrait tool pulls from a subscriber’s reading habits to create a unique composite of journalism headlines that draws on a collection of 50,000+ Times articles, translates subscribers’ reading history into headlines, and creates a custom, shareable image.